Advise on a small tool kit.

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
8,250
I want to put together a small tool kit to keep in my car but I want it small enough to fit in my daypack to convert my hiking pack into more of an urban bob type deal. Before someone says "Just get a leatherman" let me say that I've tried carrying a leatherman and can't stand it. Too bulky and heavy. Also, anyone who's actually used the tools on the leatherman will quickly tell you that it's nice to have the tools with you but it sucks to actually use the tools. I want a small set of real tools that could roll up in a tool roll no bigger than say the width of your forearm but cover as many bases as possible. If you can, be as specific as possible as far as type of a certain tool or brand. I'm not a do it yourselfer so not sure what a solid set would be. What I'm thinking so far;

Drivers:
Large Flat
Medium Flat
Eyeglass Flat
Med/large Phillips
Small Phillips
Eyeglass Phillips

Pliers:
Can't decide between small channel lock or regular pliers or needle nose pliers.

Prybar:
Not sure here. Want something more than the pocket widgy but something sorta compact.

Hammer:
Maybe a small one if the overall load is real small. Claw or ballpeen?
 
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I would get a good pair of Klein linesman Pliers
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Next I would get a 5 in 1 Klein Screwdriver (maybe even 10 in 1)
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those are 2 tools I am never without.
You can get the pliers in "high leverage" which means
they put the center pivot closer to the front so you can
cut some really heavy duty wire.
I have cut chain link fence wire with mine in the past.
I have removed bolts/nuts with them as well.
makeshift tack hammer, etc etc...just a great tool.
Heavy,but well worth it in an urban environment.
The screwdriver just has 2 large and 2 small phillips/straightslot heads
along with a 1/4 inch (i think) nut driver.
 
If you're worried about compactness then consider an interchangeable tip screwdriver. Some even come with a socket set.

Craftsman makes universal wrenches that I really like.

Linesman/Side-cut pliers can be extremely handy. Good plier companies are Channel Lock, Crescent, Irwin and Craftman (I think in that order, based on my personal use, but I'm no expert). I would look at getting an insulated set for safety around electricity. Here's a good review of "needed" pliers. http://www.bestcovery.com/best-pliers-set
Expedition Tools makes the HK1 Hydrokinetic Wrench, which is an interesting adjustable wrench that gets good reviews and I may try it for a BOB. I keep buying compromise tools for BOBs and always end up regretting it (Gator Grip, Loggerhead Bionic Wrench, etc.)

Channel Lock makes a couple of rescue tools that are much more versatile for an urban BOB, but they're pricey.

A socket set always comes in handy, but can be bulky. There are some compromise pieces, like the Gator Grip, but they really are a compromise.

Also consider a hand saw that uses reciprocating saw blades. Then you have one saw that can use metal, wood, and carbide blades for cutting everything. Bosch, Lenox and Stanley all make versions. I like the Stanley best, despite being plastic, because it folds like a pocket knife and the handle stores 4 or 5 extra blades. Get rescue type blades as they're tougher.

Items like the wrecking tools from Dead On or the Stanley FUBAR are very popular for BOBs but they're heavy and aren't the greatest hammers. They offer several tools in one that may be handy for disaster scenarios.
 
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For Urban survival, I have the TOPS Pry Knife. Another forum member did a lengthy review of it. But, basically it's a knife and a pry bar, and a chisel. The review demonstrates how effective it is at getting through doors. It comes with a few smaller tools as well, 90 degree screw drivers and a small folding hacksaw, and the Probe Punch tool.
The Pry Knife, it's accessories, and the Klein tools mentioned above would be a great start.
Hammer? I don't know, how many nails are you gonna be driving? Are you going to be carrying nails?
I'm just asking, a hammer could be useful, but I could see improvising with the prybar.
 
I'm missing something here. You feel a Leatherman multi tool is too heavy and bulky, yet you want to carry a tool roll? Where am I failing to understand?
 
Best screwdriver selection and it gives you a lot of possiblities with standard 1/4" drive bits:

Versadriver Pocket Kit

Here's a pocket screwdriver I EDC:

Technician's Screwdriver

For pliers, I would look at a good 8" adjustable (my favorite is the Kniplex Cobra).

To combine both a hammer, pry bar and wire cutters...my vote goes to fencing pliers. If you still want a compact pry bar, Stanley makes some decent 8" sized ones that I have stashed in my bag.

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ROCK6
 
Here are a couple of things I carry in my 'works' bag which is pretty much always with me at work.

The Lenox saw has already been mentioned - a really useful piece of kit with a wrecking blade and a finer-tooth blade for metal.

My scrwedriver set is a Wera Kompakt 62; they do smaller sets though. It's a solid, quality set and sees a lot of use.

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The leatherman's just for scale ;)
 
Shotgun said:
Drivers:
Large Flat
Medium Flat
Eyeglass Flat
Med/large Phillips
Small Phillips
Eyeglass Phillips

Pliers:
Can't decide between small channel lock or regular pliers or needle nose pliers.
Click to expand...

These can be solved with 2 multitools; one full sized, and one small. I'd go with SOG powerlock/assist, and something like a leatherman juice, or gerber clutch (or similar). both these multitools would weigh less than all the tools alone, and can be carried easier.

or check out a swiss-tech utili-key for a couple different size screwdrivers; then you could leave out a small multitool.

Shotgun said:
Prybar:
Not sure here. Want something more than the pocket widgy but something sorta compact.

Hammer:
Maybe a small one if the overall load is real small. Claw or ballpeen?
Click to expand...

check you local hardware store, or dept. store for a small, but not tiny prybar. I have a small one i got at a local mom&pop hardware store, that came with a nail puller (though the pry bar can be used for the latter).
 
Hi,

I often carry a multi-tool, but I kind of agree with you, It's handy, but not always easy or even possible to use with effectiveness.

But like recommending a good knife, we kind of need to know, just what kind of fixing do you think want want to be able to accomplish? A good tool set for fixing your car on the side of the road is different than what you would need for fixing eye glasses and office equipment.

dalee
 
+1 on fencing pliers. Though I carry a Wave as well with the full driver set and some sort of SAK.
Sometimes (seems like quite often) one pair of pliers isn't enough
 
I am a mechanic by trade so I have about every imaginable tool you could need. I carry on my persons at all time

a) Leatherman wave.
- This is imho the best multi tool you can carry from a best bang for your buck aspect.
b) a pocket screwdriver -
-The best ones are the cheap advertising type you get from the tool truck. You can pick them up off ebay for about $2 a piece. You can destroy them as a prybar and not feel guilty.

c) a LED Lenser Coast Flashlight. - They are pricey, but produce awesome light and will stay lit forever.

I know you said you find the Leatherman Bulky, but it is far less bulkier than a collection of other tools. Just having a Hammer, Knife, Screwdriver, Saw, Scissors, File, and whatever else, will be 10 lbs. Although the leatherman won't replace REAL tools, it will handle MOST of your needs.

P.S. Oh and I EDC my Cold Steel Black Rhino.
 
You should add:
Vise Grips
An adjustable wrench
A small socket wrench set

You should check what kind of screws your car has. Mine has a lot of torx screws.
 
The recommendation of the 10 in 1 Klein screwdriver and the linesman pliers is an excellent one. They are extremely useful. Next on my list would be a crescent wrench, a good one. 8" should work for your kit and will allow you to tighten or loosen nuts up to around 1". A tape measure is always good to have on hand. A small pair of channel locks and a small pipe wrench are also great tools if you ever have to deal with any kind of round objects. Also, carrying these will give you a backup wrench when using the crescent wrench if the bolt starts to turn with the nut.

Pry bar and hammer: I would get an Estwing or similar steel shafted hammer, cheaper hammers will break if you don't use them properly, and since you are only going to be carrying limited tools, you will mis-use most of them to make things work. A small pry bar can be found at home depot, many to choose from, pick what you think will work best for your needs.

Pawn shops are a great place to score high quality tools for cheap. With a little research on brands you can put together a great tool kit for very cheap by digging in the tool bins. I found a Snap-On screwdriver for $0.25 two days ago, you just never know what you will find.
 
Just a note on the pry bar. Most of the small ones are next to useless. You really aren't going to pry much of anything with them, and would be better off with a claw hammer, because prying depends entirely on leverage. If you want something that you could actually do some breaching or other heavy work with, and will take a beating, check out this page: http://www.estwing.com/product.php?product_id=4000
Those Pro-Claws look like they could do some decent work, but I can tell you firsthand that I can dismantle your house(or say, the entire exterior of an apartment complex over the course of a year, including siding, framework, decks and doorways) with the 18" pry bar and a hammer. I have other prybars, but this is about all I'd want to carry around, or on a toolbelt.

I think there are some great suggestions here for the Klein Linesman pliers, the Klein 10 in 1 screwdriver(they also make a 5 in 1), and especially the Knipex Cobras which are far superior to Channellocks, and can also replace small pipe wrenches and crescent wrenches, though they tear everything up that you use them on. A "BoB" isn't really how I think of things, but the Facom universal pliers and one of the smaller Knipex Cobras(have two, along with the 10") stay in my work bag, while the others are from a toolbag that has a ton of other stuff, too.
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I carry a small prybar most of the time. 5" long Vaughn. Very useful.

For a screwdriver, Klein makes an 11 in 1 and that is what I carry. Flat/Phillips/Robertson/Torx/3 nutdrivers.

I won't swing a metal handled hammer. I've broken the claws on fiberglass hammers, but not a handle.
 
Mannlicher said:
I'm missing something here. You feel a Leatherman multi tool is too heavy and bulky, yet you want to carry a tool roll? Where am I failing to understand?
Click to expand...

That he wants to carry a tool roll. To each his own.
 
xbxb said:
That he wants to carry a tool roll. To each his own.
Click to expand...
Ha, sorry for the confusion. The leatherman IS too heavy and bulky to carry all of the time so it would end up sitting in my trunk and if the tool is going to sit in my trunk, I'd rather assemble a better set of tools to have there. I want something that I can throw in my day pack in case of emergency. Or just when I need it in a non emergency. Not a set I carry all the time. Thanks for the replies so far. Getting good ideas.
 
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